Ed U.
Yelp
This was our first destination once we landed in Oslo. I suppose Jamie W. and I should've taken the tour, especially since we were here during the brief period (end of June to mid-August) when they actually offer guided tours. However, we didn't know that, and I have to confess we're just not "palace" people. We've never been to Buckingham Palace, and my visit to Versailles was a lifetime ago. I think the last palace tour we took was at Graceland (review: https://bit.ly/3UwGqvE). OK, he wasn't the king of an actual country, but you get the gist. Thankyouverymuch.
We admit we're the type who are more likely to be bowled over by green shag carpeting on the ceiling versus a gilded bedroom. No matter as I can still share my impressions of the outside. It looked more contemporary than most royal palaces you would see, more like a yellow variation on the White House (photo: https://bit.ly/3Rc5IMF). I liked how we could see it come into view from a distance as we walked on Karl Johans gate, Oslo's main pedestrian thoroughfare. Dominating the foreground was a manly statue of King Charles John on his horse, rather ironic in that he didn't live to see the palace (photo: https://bit.ly/3xHIvLp).
I just noticed people moving around the base hoping to get some shade depending on how the sun was hitting it. There were young royal palace guards who remained solemn in their posts until a local tourist chatted him or her up for a photo op. We did see one changing of the guard which was done in military fashion without fuss (video: https://bit.ly/3C3Qrcv). The gardens were all quite manicured and the surrounding park was a nice patch of greenery even though makeshift fencing limited our movement on the grounds. Still, the palace was auspicious enough to give us a favorable first impression of Norway.
RELATED - Exploring Norway? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: bit.ly/3PEL4Fe